Composition and Method of Application of Precious Metals to Tobacco Products

ABSTRACT

A method of applying precious and semi-precious metals to cigars such that the draw and ignitability of the cigar remains unaffected by the application. An embodiment of the present invention includes a composition and method of applying edible gold leaf to the external surface or wrapper of a cigar or rolled tobacco product.

FIELD

The present invention relates to the field of tobacco products, in particular, a method of applying precious and semi-precious metals to cigars such that the draw and ignitability of the cigar remains unaffected by the application.

BACKGROUND

In recent years, smoking of cigars has become in vogue, and numerous cigar shops have opened around the world to satisfy this growing trend. The variety, quality and size of ready-made cigars satisfies the majority of the public.

The tobacco industry provides a number of products. Some products, like cigarettes and pipes, use relatively finely or uniformly ground tobacco. When tobacco is cut in this manner, the tobacco provides a relatively consistent draw which allows each cigarette or pipe to draw in the same manner for each smoke.

Cigars, on the other hand, are manufactured in a variety of ways. They may be made by machine, or in the case of more expensive brands, they may also be made by hand. The size and shape of the pieces of tobacco in a cigar will also vary. This variation in the tobacco filler used to manufacture cigars that cause irregularities in drawing performance and may even cause failure of the cigar to draw at all. Cigars that draw poorly or not at all are often discarded by the smoker, or returned to the manufacturer for a refund. Since cigars may be relatively expensive, the problems caused by drawing failures will either create an unnecessary expense to the smoker, or lost profits to the manufacturer who accepts return of defective cigars.

In recent years, a number of attempts have been made to improve the smoking experience in order to satisfy the growing demand of a more refined and robust cigar market. These attempts, however, cannot affect the performance, ignitability, and draw of the cigar for the reasons presented above. As an example of the types of attempts to improve the smoking experience, various methods for altering the aroma or flavoring of the smoking articles have been proposed. Frequently, the cut filler (the shreds of strands of tobacco material) is treated with volatile additives such as top dressing of flavors in the form of an alcoholic solution. Casing materials, having a relatively low degree of volatility such as sugars, licorice, cocoa, essential oils, fruit extracts and humectants, are applied to the tobacco by dipping or spraying prior to the cutting or shredding operating. While these methods effectively provide an alteration in flavor and aroma of the smoking material upon burning during use due to the intimate contact in which the flavorant is applied to the tobacco, these methods must take place final to the actual formation of the finished product. That is, a predetermined amount of tobacco and cut filler must be treated prior to the formation of the cigars which contain the treated tobacco in order for the cigars to contain the desired aroma and functionality. The aromatized tobacco cannot be tested until the smoking article is formed, and it is sometimes difficult to know how much tobacco to treat to form a desired number of smoking articles.

Because of the expertise required to make a well-drawing cigar, improvements to the smoking experience have been centered on the addition of volatile aromatics to the filler of the cigar. These techniques, however, are well-known in the art and do not satisfy many of the more refined consumers in the cigar market. Methods of adding additional non-volatile or solid substrates to a cigar, while maintaining draw and functionality, has eluded those skilled in the art. What is needed, therefore, is a method of applying metals and other solid, non-volatile substances to a cigar to improve the smoking experience while maintaining the draw, ignitability, and smoking experience of a well-made cigar.

SUMMARY

To manufacture a novel composition for smoking, the composition comprising dried and fermented tobacco, and at least one precious metal.

An embodiment of the present invention is a method of applying a precious metal to a tobacco product, the method comprising preparing an external surface of a rolled tobacco product; applying an adhesive substantially uniformly to the external surface of the rolled tobacco product; adhering a precious metal to the external surface of the rolled tobacco product, the precious metal and the external surface of the rolled tobacco product being adhered through contact with the adhesive; and curing the rolled tobacco product upon adhering the precious metal to the external surface.

Another embodiment of the present invention is a method of applying precious metal to a tobacco product, the method comprising preparing a plurality of dried and fermented tobacco leaves; mixing a plurality of precious metal flakes with the plurality of dried and fermented tobacco leaves, thereby creating a mixed composition of dried and fermented tobacco leaves and precious metal flakes; and rolling the mixed composition in a wrapper, the wrapper consisting of one or more tobacco leaves.

These and other advantages will become clearer in the following drawings, descriptions, and claims.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a logical flow diagram of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a logical flow diagram of an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is an orthographic projection of a side view of an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Reference will now be made in detail to various embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. While the invention will be described in conjunction with these embodiments, it will be understood that they are not intended to limit the invention to these embodiments. On the contrary, the invention is intended to cover alternatives, modifications and equivalents, which may be included within the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims.

A method of applying precious metal to a rolled tobacco product is shown in an embodiment in FIGS. 1-2. A novel composition for a cigar manufactured using the illustrative methods of FIGS. 1-2 is illustrated in an embodiment in FIG. 3.

FIG. 1 is a logical flow diagram of an embodiment of the present invention. In an embodiment, method 100 is operable to apply a precious metal to a rolled tobacco product such that the ignitability and draw of the rolled tobacco product is not affected by the application. A rolled tobacco product includes especially cigars, but can include any rolled smoking product substantially composed of tobacco-based fillers including cigarettes and cigarillos. A cigar is meant to include any tightly-rolled bundle of dried and fermented tobacco that is ignited so that its smoke may be drawn into the mouth.

In an embodiment, method 100 is initiated by preparing 102 an external surface of a rolled tobacco product. An external surface is meant to include a wrapper for a cigar, which includes especially the outermost leaves of the cigar. Preparing 102 may include removing any surface imperfections, or depending on the stage of manufacturing, rolling the cigar into a tight bundle via a machine or by hand. Method 100 is operable to apply 104 an adhesive to the external surface of the rolled tobacco product. In an embodiment, an adhesive is an edible polymer. An edible polymer can be any substance having adhesive properties that is generally recognized as safe (GRAS) for consumption in food products, such as a sucrose-based adhesive. This can include a manufactured adhesive, such as a sugar cross-linked with a polyfunctional acid, or a naturally occurring adhesive such as honey. The adhesive may be applied substantially uniformly to the external surface or wrapper by the use of a brush or by dipping the rolled tobacco product in the adhesive, or by spraying the adhesive through the use of a pressurized or unpressurized spraying apparatus. The adhesive should be applied substantially uniformly to ensure the gold leaf, or other metal, is adhering completely. This helps to ensure adequate draw, ignitability, and smoking experience.

In an embodiment, method 100 is operable to adhere 106 a precious metal to the external surface of the rolled tobacco product, the rolled tobacco product having the adhesive previously applied to the external surface or wrapper. In an embodiment, the precious metal may be a metal or alloy selected from gold, silver, or platinum, or an alloy thereof, and should be in a form that is GRAS for consumption by the Food and Drug Administration, or other private or public food safety-related bodies. In an exemplary embodiment, the precious metal is edible gold leaf. The edible gold leaf may be 3⅜″×3⅜″ in size, although other sizes and designs are anticipated. The gold leaf may be 0.1-0.127 μm in thickness to ensure the draw and ignitability of the rolled tobacco product is not affected by the gold leaf application, although other thicknesses are anticipated. If the edible gold leaf is an alloy, it should be mixed with silver only to ensure it is GRAS for consumption.

In an embodiment, the gold leaf is adhered 106 to the external surface of the rolled tobacco product by placing the gold leaf on a flat surface. The rolled tobacco product with applied adhesive is then placed on a proximal edge of the gold leaf and rolled over the surface of the gold leaf. By doing so, the gold leaf should be applied uniformly to the external surface of the rolled tobacco product. This method may be done by hand or by machine, and numerous alternative methods are anticipated for applying the gold leaf or other suitable precious metal to the external surface of the rolled tobacco product.

In an embodiment, the rolled tobacco product, adhesive, and precious metal composition is cured 108 prior to consumption. In an embodiment, curing 108 is allowing the adhesive to dry to ensure proper bonding of the gold to the external surface or wrapper of the rolled tobacco product. Curing 108 may also allow the adhesive to dry to ensure ignitability and draw of the rolled tobacco product are not affected. Curing 108 may be allowing the rolled tobacco product to rest prior to consumption. This may be done in a cool, dry environment, or in a humidor. Humidors are well known in the art and need not be discussed at length here. It is also anticipated that heat may be used to cure 108 the precious metal to the external surface of the rolled tobacco product. It is anticipated that the time and method of curing 108 may be dependent on the type of adhesive used to bond the precious metal to the external surface of the rolled tobacco product.

FIG. 2 is a logical flow diagram of an embodiment of the present invention. In an embodiment, method 200 is operable to apply a precious metal to a tobacco product. In an embodiment, a plurality of dried and fermented tobacco leaves is prepared 202 for rolling into a rolled tobacco product, including especially a cigar. Preparation 202 is meant to include any processes that occur prior to rolling tobacco into a smoking implement, whether that be by hand-rolled methods or machine-rolled methods. Upon preparation 202, a plurality of precious metal flakes may be mixed 204 with the plurality of dried and fermented tobacco leaves. In an embodiment, the precious metal may be a metal or alloy selected from gold, silver, or platinum, or an alloy thereof, and should be in a form that is GRAS for consumption by the Food and Drug Administration, or other private or public food safety-related bodies. In an exemplary embodiment, the precious metal is edible gold flake. If the edible gold leaf is an alloy, it should be mixed with silver only to ensure it is GRAS for consumption. It is anticipated that the precious metal flakes may be mixed 204 by any commercially reasonable means, such as the use of a mechanical mixer or by manual methods. Upon mixing 204, the metal and tobacco composition may be rolled 206 into a wrapper. A wrapper may be made of tobacco leaves or paper, depending on the type and form of the tobacco product.

In an embodiment, it is anticipated that the rolled tobacco product formed by method 200 may subsequently have precious metal applied to its external surface in accordance with the steps and details of method 100 above.

FIG. 3 is an orthographic projection of a side view of an embodiment of the present invention. In an embodiment, cigar 300 may be assembled in accordance with method 100 and/or method 200 above. Edible gold leaf 302 may be applied to a distal circumference of cigar 300, and may cover approximately ½ to ¾ of the body of cigar 300. Edible gold leaf 302 may be of the same form and function as described in method 100 above. In an embodiment, cigar 300 terminates at an end point 302, which is commonly cut or punched by the smoker to draw smoke from an ignited cigar into the smoker's mouth. It is anticipated that cigar 300 may be of any common form, such as a parejo 304 a or a torpedo 304 b. It is anticipated that cigar 300 may also be of the forms pyramid, perfecto, or presidente.

Although the present invention has been described with several embodiments, numerous changes, substitutions, variations, alterations, and modifications may be suggested to one skilled in the art, and it is intended that the invention encompass all such changes, substitutions, variations, alterations, and modifications as fall within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A method of applying precious metal to a tobacco product, the method comprising: preparing an external surface of a rolled tobacco product; applying an adhesive substantially uniformly to the external surface of the rolled tobacco product; adhering a precious metal to the external surface of the rolled tobacco product, the precious metal and the external surface of the rolled tobacco product being adhered through contact with the adhesive; and curing the rolled tobacco product upon adhering the precious metal to the external surface.
 2. The method of claim 1 wherein the adhesive is an edible polymer.
 3. The method of claim 1 wherein the precious metal is selected from the group consisting of gold, silver, and platinum.
 4. The method of claim 1 wherein the precious metal is edible gold leaf.
 5. A method of applying precious metal to a tobacco product, the method comprising: preparing a plurality of dried and fermented tobacco leaves; mixing a plurality of precious metal flakes with the plurality of dried and fermented tobacco leaves, thereby creating a mixed composition of dried and fermented tobacco leaves and precious metal flakes; and rolling the mixed composition in a wrapper, the wrapper consisting of one or more tobacco leaves.
 6. The method of claim 5 wherein the precious metal is selected from the group consisting of gold, silver, and platinum.
 7. The method of claim 5 wherein the precious metal is edible gold leaf.
 8. The method of claim 5 further comprising: applying an adhesive substantially uniformly to an external surface of the wrapper; and adhering a precious metal to the external surface of the rolled tobacco product, the precious metal and the external surface of the wrapper being adhered through contact with the adhesive.
 9. The method of claim 8 wherein the precious metal is selected from the group consisting of gold, silver, and platinum.
 10. A composition for smoking, the composition comprising: dried and fermented tobacco; and at least one precious metal.
 11. The composition of claim 10 wherein the precious metal is edible gold leaf.
 12. The composition of claim 10 wherein the precious metal is selected from the group consisting of gold, silver, and platinum. 